Proposed is a novel coupling mechanism capable of applying a preload to a ball portion and a socket portion which constitute a coupling mechanism of a titling pad bearing, without using a spring element.

A bearing material including a substrate, and a sliding layer overlying the substrate, where the sliding layer includes fillers including wollastonite in a wt % range between 10 and 30%, barium sulfate in a wt % range between 5 and 15%, and pigment in a wt % range between 0.1 and 5%.

A synthetic resin retainer includes two annular members having opposed surfaces opposed to each other and each formed with a plurality of pockets which are circumferentially spaced apart from each other, and in which the balls are received. Each annular member includes axially concave, arc-shaped pocket wall portions defining the inner surfaces of the pockets, and flat plate-shaped coupling plate portions coupling together the adjacent pairs of the pocket wall portions. The coupling plate portions have axial thicknesses of 30% or less of the diameters of the balls, and the pocket wall portions have, at deepest points of the pockets, thicknesses of 10% or less of the diameters of the balls.

A laminate article can include a substrate and a layer of a heterogeneous mixture of a non-fluorinated polymer compound and a fluorinated polymer compound. The laminate article can include a gradual concentration gradient along an axis perpendicular to the substrate. The gradual concentration gradient can include the change of the amount of the non-fluorinated polymer and the fluorinated polymer compound relative to the axis perpendicular to the substrate. The layer can further include at least one filler. The laminate can be applied as a bearing material.

A sliding member for a journal bearing is provided. A sliding layer includes fibrous particles dispersed in a synthetic resin, and has a sliding surface side region and an interface side region. The particles have an average particle size D.sub.sur, axi and D.sub.sur, cir respectively in an axial and circumferential cross-section in the sliding surface side region, and D.sub.int, axi and D.sub.int, cir respectively in axial and circumferential cross-sections in the interface side region. D.sub.sur, axi and D.sub.int, cir are 5-30 μm, and D.sub.sur, cir and D.sub.int, axi are 5 to 20% of respectively D.sub.sur, axi and D.sub.int, cir. A dispersion index of the particles having the major axis length of 20 μm or longer is 5 or more, both in the sliding surface side region in view of the axial cross-section and in the interface side region in view of the circumferential cross-section.

First and second bearing cage halves each having an annular base body and a plurality of pins extending from the base body and a plurality of pin receptacles, the first and second cage haves forming a bearing cage when the pins are received into the pin receptacles. A body of sacrificial material is located on the pins and/or in the pin receptacles which body is configured to be melted ultrasonically to join the first cage half to the second cage half and form the bearing cage.

To provide a sliding bearing for an electric water pump, the sliding bearing being superior in low friction performance in water or an antifreeze solution. A sliding bearing 3 is for an electric water pump that comprises a rotor 1 having the sliding bearing 3 that is formed in a substantially hollow cylindrical shape and rotatably supports a shaft, and a stator that is disposed on a circle coaxial with the shaft and rotationally drives the rotor 1. The sliding bearing 3 is formed of a resin composition that contains synthetic resin as a main component. The resin composition contains 5-30 vol % of carbon fiber that has a density of 2.00-2.25 g/cm.sup.3 and an average fiber length of 30-300 μm, to a whole volume of the resin composition.

A bearing cage is disclosed that includes a first ring and a second ring with a plurality of crossbars extending therebetween to define a plurality of rolling element pockets. The first ring and the second ring each include a plurality of radially outward protrusions, a plurality of reliefs, and a plurality of axially extending protrusions extending into the plurality of rolling element pockets. The plurality of crossbars each include a plurality of retention tabs configured to engage rolling elements in the plurality of rolling element pockets.

The present invention achieves a high mechanical load capacity of a rod end by means of a component loop that passes around a bearing, where the component may be made of continuous-fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix and where the continuous-fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix may extend into a threaded stem of the rod end, and the component made of continuous-fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix may be enclosed by short-fiber reinforced, long-fiber reinforced, or unreinforced thermoplastic. The threaded stem can be implemented with an external or an internal thread.

A blood flow assist system can include an impeller assembly including an impeller shaft and an impeller on the impeller shaft, a primary flow pathway disposed along an exterior surface of the impeller. The system can include a rotor assembly at a proximal portion of the impeller shaft. A secondary flow pathway can be disposed along a lumen of the impeller shaft. During operation of the blood flow assist system, blood can be pumped proximally along the primary flow pathway and the secondary flow pathway. The system can include a sleeve bearing distal the impeller. The system can include a drive unit having a distal end disposed distal a proximal end of the second impeller. The drive unit comprising a drive magnet and a drive bearing between the drive magnet and the impeller assembly.